Use of pregabalin in patients with painful neuropathic disorders under the care of general practitioners in the U.K.

PURPOSE

To examine the use of pregabalin in patients with painful neuropathic disorders under the care of general practitioners (GPs) in the U.K.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using a large U.K. database of GP encounters, we identified all persons aged > or = 18 years with at least one GP encounter with a diagnosis of a painful neuropathic disorder (eg, postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic peripheral neuropathy) between January 1, 2004 and July 31, 2006. Among these patients, we then identified those who initiated therapy with pregabalin; the date of initial receipt of pregabalin was designated the "index date." We then examined use of pregabalin over the 6-month period following this date ("follow-up"), as well as changes in the use of other pain-related medications (eg, opioids, tricyclic antidepressants [TCAs], other antiepileptics [AEDs]) between the 6-month period preceding the index date ("pretreatment") and follow-up. Patients with less than 6 months of pretreatment and follow-up data were excluded, as were those without any encounters during pretreatment for a painful neuropathic disorder.

RESULTS

A total of 1,400 patients (1.4% of all identified patients with painful neuropathic disorders) initiated therapy with pregabalin and met all other entry criteria; mean age was 62 years, and 58% were women. During pretreatment, most (54%) patients received three or more different types of pain-related medications. During follow-up, patients averaged four prescriptions for pregabalin, totaling 93 therapy days. Compared with pretreatment, fewer patients received other pain-related medications during follow-up, including TCAs (37% during pretreatment vs. 27% during follow-up), opioids (64% vs. 55%), and AEDs other than pregabalin (36% vs. 16%) (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

In the U.K., many patients prescribed pregabalin by their GPs may have been refractory to other pain-related medications. Use of these medications declined following initiation of pregabalin therapy.